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Union County Announces 2021 “Preserve Union County” Historic Preservation Grant Awardees

Nearly $300,000 in awards will help revitalize gems from Union County’s past.

Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of County Commissioners is pleased to announce that 10 unique historic preservation projects in eight different municipalities will receive grant money in 2021 as part of the Preserve Union County program, administered by the Union County Open Space, Recreation, and Historic Preservation Trust Fund.

“Funding from Preserve Union County helps our local historic sites undertake needed renovations and improve public access, providing residents and visitors with new insights into our heritage,” said Commissioner Board Chairman Alexander Mirabella.

“These sites contribute to civic pride and community spirit, while providing us with a more complete understanding of the lives of our forebears. They inspire us to create a legacy of our own for the next generation, and the Commissioner Board is proud to support the efforts of local preservationists,” said Commissioner Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded, who is Chair of the Commissioner Board’s Open Space, Recreation and Historic Preservation Trust Fund.

The Open Space, Recreation and Historic Preservation Trust Fund was established by popular referendum in 2000. It has provided the Commissioner Board with the ability to preserve over 315 acres of land throughout the County of Union. In addition to acquisition of land, creation of parkland, and updating of recreational facilities throughout the county, the grant programs of the Trust Fund provide an avenue for municipalities to focus on their hometown recreational priorities, increase tree plantings, and stabilize and restore historic sites.

The following municipalities received grants from the 2021 round of the Preserve Union County program:

  • Berkeley Heights: $20,000 to watertight the Littel-Lord Farmstead by addressing the foundation, sagging floors, exterior walls, and broken windows.
  • Cranford: $2,500 for the installation of central air conditioning and a new wall heater in the Hanson House.
  • Elizabeth: $70,000 for the installation of a monument at Siloam Hope First Presbyterian Church & Cemetery, and to coordinate the inclusion of the proposed museum as a destination/tour site.
  • Fanwood: $55,000 for replacement and repairs of the existing roof at the Fanwood Carriage House.
  • Kenilworth: $16,000 to reinstall screen doors and windows at the Nitschke House.
  • Plainfield: $31,320 total – $14,940 to restore and repair the north porch steps and adjacent walkway of the Plainfield Performing Arts Center, and $16,290 to enhance the front façade of the duCret School of Art, as well as to replace wooden windows.
  • Rahway: 30,000 to complete the final of a 4-phase exterior restoration of the Merchant and Drovers Tavern building.
  • Scotch Plains: $75,000 total – $35,000 to match the NJ Historic Trust Grant award to restore the two fireplaces, interior walls, stairway, and floors on the first-floor interior of the Rotary Frazee House, and $40,000 for ballroom floor replacement, basement step enclosure, mold remediation, and the purchase of de-humidifiers at the Shady Rest Golf & Country Club.

For information and updates on all Union County services during the COVID-19 outbreak, including free vaccination, free testing, emergency food distribution and other support services, visit ucnj.org/covid19. General information about COVID-19 is available through the New Jersey Department of Health at nj.gov/health.

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